An IndiGo Airlines passenger plane taxis on the tarmac at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India, May 29, 2023. Photo by Reuters
Indian budget airline IndiGo has been fined 12 million rupees ($144,000) for allowing passengers to dine directly on the tarmac while waiting for a delayed flight at Mumbai airport.
The fine was imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which monitors the safety of air travelers. This is the highest fine imposed on an Indian airline in recent years, Times of India reported.
The Mumbai airport was also fined $36,000 for failing to report the incident to the Civil Aviation Safety Bureau.
On January 14, an Indigo flight from Goa to Delhi was forced to divert and land in Mumbai when fog made visibility limited.
While waiting for the plane to take off again, passengers were allowed to disembark and many sat down to eat on the tarmac.
A video went viral on social media, capturing the scene of passengers sitting on the airport tarmac, sharing food, using mobile phones and relaxing next to the IndiGo plane.
A video shared on
“We sincerely apologize to our customers and are currently investigating the incident,” IndiGo said in a statement, as reported by New Delhi Television. “We will take necessary measures to avoid such cases in the future.”
Last year, American Airlines was fined $4.1 million for violating airline safety rules by leaving thousands of passengers sitting on the tarmac for hours.
